The beautiful European village that’s about to hit visitors with tax | World | News
Located just outside Amsterdam, this fascinating village is famous for its iconic windmills, channels and traditional wooden houses. Despite its small size and a population of only 100 inhabitants, this point attracts more and more visitors. 2.6 million tourists in 2024 visited Küçük Village, a number expected to rise in 2025.
In order to fight the overwhelming crowds and protect his sensitive heritage, the historical Zaanse Schans Village announced that it would receive £ 15 entrance fees to visitors, starting from the spring of 2026. By introducing this tourism tax, local authorities plan to use the money collected to protect the new infrastructure, such as parks and new toilets that will improve the experience of both visitors and local peasants.
The ticket will provide access to the museum and windmills. These attraction centers currently require separate fees.
Residents and distinguished groups will continue to enjoy the free entry, but people will have to make an online reservation.
The narrow streets and roads of the village will restrict access to ensure that visitor numbers are effectively controlled.
The oldest mill dates back to 1609, and the oldest house was built in 1623, and these centuries of old buildings are part of what has been such a big draw for the village tourists.
Village Museum Director Marieke Verweij BBC: “We had 1.7 million visitors in 2017 … We are going to 2.8 million this year.
“But this is a small place! There is no room for all these people!”
Verweij added that this has an impact on the lives and quality of life of those living in the Dutch huts.
“[The visitors often] They don’t know what people live here, so they go into their gardens, enter their homes, pee in their gardens, knock on the doors, take pictures, use selfie sticks to look at the houses. So there’s no privacy. “
But not everyone is excited about the decision. Some local shop owners are afraid that the wage can deterd visitors and may have a negative impact on small businesses.
“This is terrible. This means that people who don’t have a big wallet can’t come here.
“This will mean that we will lose most of our shoppers. If you have a family of four and you have a park, it will be around 100 €. So people will not have much budget for other things.”
